Opening Worlds – OCR Anthology
Comparing the short stories: Themes
Add quotations to the correct theme box for each story. An example has been done for you.
Story /
Theme
‘Dead Men’s Path’
‘Snapshots of a
Wedding’
‘The Train from
Rhodesia’
Name: …………………………………………………
‘The Gold Legged
Frog’
‘Two Kinds’
‘The Tall Woman
and Her Short
Husband’
Culture
Clash
Education
“A high standard of
teaching was
insisted on”
Authority
New Ways
v Old Ways
Religion
and Beliefs
“Our dead relatives
depart by it. But
most important, it is
the path of children
coming into this
world”
© 2004 www.teachit.co.uk
1571
Page 1 of 11
Opening Worlds – OCR Anthology
(Contd)
Poverty
Ceremony /
Traditions /
Customs
Community
and Family
Life
Conflicts
and
Divisions
Luck and
Fortunes
© 2004 www.teachit.co.uk
1571
Page 2 of 11
Opening Worlds – OCR Anthology
Comparing the stories: Name that story!
Read through each quotation and use your knowledge of the stories to decide which
one it was.
1.
“Creaking, jerking, jostling, gasping, the train filled the station.”
2.
“Be a good Wife! Be a good Wife!”
3.
“ ‘Only two kinds of daughters,’ she shouted in Chinese. ‘Those who are obedient and those
who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house! Obedient
daughter!’ ”
4.
“They have the strange sensation that there is a big empty space under that umbrella, a vacuum
that nothing on earth can fill.”
5.
“She was seventeen centimetres taller than he.”
6.
“I soon found out why Old Chong had retired from teaching piano. He was deaf.”
7.
“What luck! You sure have good luck, Nak. One more day and you’d have been out two
hundred baht.”
8.
“She threw the lion onto the seat.”
9.
“ ‘This is going to be a modern wedding.’ ”
10. “What I say is: let the hawk perch and let the eagle perch.”
11. “A cobra spread its hood, hissing.”
12. “My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America.”
13. “Heavy sticks were planted closely across the path at the two places it entered and left the
school premises.”
14. “She seemed dried up and scrawny with a face like an unvarnished ping-pong bat.”
15. “At her own home Neo was waited on hand and foot. Outside the home nasty remarks were
passed. People bitterly disliked conceit and pride.”
© 2004 www.teachit.co.uk
1571
Page 3 of 11
Opening Worlds – OCR Anthology
OCR Short stories summary:
Title of story:
Author of story:
Country of origin:
Characters involved? What are they like?
Plot: What happens in the story?
Cultures and Traditions: What do you learn about this culture / society?
Themes:
Language / Techniques:
Structure: (Any flashbacks?)
Useful quotations:
© 2004 www.teachit.co.uk
1571
Page 4 of 11
Opening Worlds – OCR Anthology
Opening Worlds: OCR Sample Questions GCSE English
Either:
1. Remind yourself of the following extract from ‘Dead Men’s Path’ by Chinua Achebe,
then answer the question that follows:
Three days later the village priest of Ani called on the headmaster. He was an old man
and walked with a slight stoop. He carried a stout walking-stick which he usually tapped
on the floor, by way of emphasis, each time he made a new point in his argument.
“I have heard,” he said after the usual exchange of cordialities, “that our ancestral
footpath has recently been closed…”
“Yes,” replied Mr Obi. “We cannot allow people to make a highway of our school
compound.”
“Look here, my son,” said the priest bringing down his walking - stick, “this path was
here before you were born and before your father was born. The whole life of the
village depends on it. Our dead relatives depart by it and our ancestors visit us by it. But
most important, it is the path of children coming in to be born…”
Mr Obi listened with a satisfied smile on his face.
“The whole purpose of our school,” he said finally, “is to eradicate just such beliefs as
that. Dead men do not require footpaths. The whole idea is just fantastic. Our duty is to
teach your children to laugh at such ideas.”
Think about ‘Dead Men’s Path’ and ONE OTHER story from the ones you have
studied, where someone experiences a clash of cultures.
How do the writers’ descriptions of these different cultures, in which these two stories are
set, emphasise this clash?
Support your answer by referring to and quoting from the stories.
Remember to put quotation marks round any words and phrases you use from the stories.
Or:
2. Choose TWO stories that describe the ceremonies and traditions of other cultures. For
each story write about:
- what the ceremonies and traditions are and how they are described
- how the writer describes the characters’ reactions to these ceremonies
Support your answer by referring to and quoting from the stories.
Remember to put quotation marks round any words and phrases you use from the stories.
© 2004 www.teachit.co.uk
1571
Page 5 of 11
Opening Worlds – OCR Anthology
Opening Worlds: OCR Sample Questions GCSE English (contd)
Either:
3. Remind yourself of the following extract from ‘Snapshots of a Wedding’ by Bessie
Head, then answer the question that follows:
“This is going to be a modern wedding.” He meant that a lot of the traditional courtesies
had been left out of the planning for the wedding day; no one had been awake all night
preparing diphiri or the traditional wedding breakfast of pounded meat and samp; the
bridegroom said he had no church and did not care about such things; the bride was six
months pregnant and showing it, so there was just going to be a quick marriage
ceremony at the police camp.
“Oh, we all have our own ways,” said one of the bride’s relatives joked back. “If the
times are changing, we keep up with them.” And she weaved away ululating joyously.
Think about ‘Snapshots of a Wedding’ and ONE OTHER STORY from the ones you
have studied, where the central character is trying to move away from their old
traditions and cultures and into a more modern society.
Write about:
-
How the characters behave towards their cultures and traditions
Why they are trying to change
Support your answer by referring to and quoting from the stories.
Remember to put quotation marks round any words and phrases you use from the stories.
Or:
4. Choose TWO STORIES that show divisions or conflicts within communities. For each
story write about:
-
What these actual divisions / conflicts are
How the divisions / conflicts occur
How the writer describes the effects on the people involved.
Support your answer by referring to and quoting from the stories.
Remember to put quotation marks round any words and phrases you use from the stories.
© 2004 www.teachit.co.uk
1571
Page 6 of 11
Opening Worlds – OCR Anthology
Essay checklist for GCSE language paper
•
Use quotations to support your points
•
Put quotation marks / inverted commas around quotes
•
Capital letters for character names
•
Inverted commas around names of stories / titles e.g. ‘Dead Men’s Path’
•
Have a short introduction
•
Have a conclusion to sum up your ideas
•
PLAN using a spider diagram before writing
•
DON’T re-tell the story; I already know it!
•
Comment on themes, symbolism, style
•
Use PEE: Point – Evidence – Exploration / Explanation
•
Stick to what the question is asking, don’t waffle
•
Use paragraphs!
•
Don’t copy the question out
•
No sub headings
•
Leave a couple of minutes at the end to check for errors in expression, spelling etc.
•
Formal expressions
© 2004 www.teachit.co.uk
1571
Page 7 of 11
Opening Worlds – OCR Anthology
PEE
Point...
Evidence...
Explanation...
The neighbours in ‘The Tall Woman and Her Short Husband’ ridicule and
cruelly gossip about the couple. The text describes how one “put a tall,
thin empty bottle on the table next to a squat tin of pork.” These
household items symbolise the physical differences between the two.
The word “squat” suggests an ungainly, rather clumsy person. It is not a
complimentary gesture.
Now continue the PEE using these Points:
1. The writer of ‘The Tall Woman and Her Short Husband’ suggests that the tailor’s wife
is a thoughtless, cruel gossip.
2. The writer of ‘The Tall Woman and Her Short Husband’ uses irony to criticise the
behaviour of the neighbours in the mansions.
3. The Priest uses animal imagery when pressing Michael Obi for a satisfactory
compromise.
4. Michael Obi refuses to listen to any compromise offered.
5. The tailor’s wife abuses her power by using it to persecute the couple unfairly.
© 2004 www.teachit.co.uk
1571
Page 8 of 11
Opening Worlds – OCR Anthology
Quiz: (1)
True or False:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
‘Two Kinds’ uses first person narration.
‘Train to Rhodesia’ is set in South Africa.
The train is personified in ‘Train to Rhodesia’.
Michael Obi is a traditional head teacher.
Nancy Obi doesn’t like new ways.
Neo is a well liked, polite girl.
‘Snapshots of a Wedding’ is about new ways v old.
The man and woman in ‘Train’ both like to barter the prices down.
An epiphany is when one character realises something they didn’t know before.
‘Gold Legged Frog’ is about luck and misfortune.
Quiz: (2)
Link the title of the story with the description of it.
A: Frog
B: Path
C: Wedding
D: Train
E: Tall Woman
F: Two Kinds
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Set in USA.
About a boy dying of a snake bite.
About a train journey through a poor part of Africa.
Set during the Cultural Revolution in China.
Describes a wedding ceremony.
Personifies a train to show how important it is.
Man is stubborn and refuses to meet priest half way.
Symbol of a fence to suggest shutting out the community.
Symbol of a train to show divisions between rich and poor.
Tailor’s Wife is a gossip.
© 2004 www.teachit.co.uk
1571
Page 9 of 11
Opening Worlds – OCR Anthology
Teacher copy
Quiz: (1)
True or False:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
‘Two Kinds’ uses first person narration. TRUE
‘Train to Rhodesia’ is set in South Africa. TRUE
The train is personified in ‘Train to Rhodesia’. TRUE
Michael Obi is a traditional head teacher. FALSE
Nancy Obi doesn’t like new ways. FALSE
Neo is a well liked, polite girl. FALSE
‘Snapshots of a Wedding’ is about new ways v old. TRUE
The man and woman in ‘Train’ both like to barter the prices down. FALSE
An epiphany is when one character realises something they didn’t know before. TRUE
‘Gold Legged Frog’ is about luck and misfortune. TRUE
Quiz: (2)
Link the title of the story with the description of it.
A: Frog
B: Path
C: Wedding
D: Train
E: Tall Woman
F: Two Kinds
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Set in USA. F
About a boy dying of a snake bite. A
About a train journey through a poor part of Africa. D
Set during the Cultural Revolution in China. E
Describes a wedding ceremony. C
Personifies a train to show how important it is. D
Man is stubborn and refuses to meet priest half way. B
Symbol of a fence to suggest shutting out the community. B
Symbol of a train to show divisions between rich and poor. D
Tailor’s Wife is a gossip. E
© 2004 www.teachit.co.uk
1571
Page 10 of 11
Opening Worlds – OCR Anthology
Sample writing questions based on Opening Worlds
1.
Describe an important tradition that you have in your life and explain why it is important to
you.
2.
Describe a time you attended a family get together and how you felt about this experience.
3.
Write a story called ‘Just My Luck!’
4.
Write a letter to a friend from another culture explaining what traditions and ceremonies you
have in your culture. Explain what you enjoy or don’t enjoy about them.
5.
“It is important to respect other cultures and the traditions of others”. Write a speech for your
class persuading them that this is true.
6.
Describe a time where you made a mistake that had disastrous consequences.
7.
A friend feels that their parents are pushing them too hard in their studies and hobbies. Write a
letter to your friend advising them how to deal with this situation.
8.
In ‘Dead Men’s Path’ the main character denies the villagers access to the path. Imagine that a
place is important to you is being threatened. Write a letter to the local council persuading them
to save this place.
9.
Choose a place that you know well and describe it at two different times e.g. day and night or
winter and summer.
10. Describe a time when you had to give a performance in front of a group of people. Describe
your thoughts and feelings about it.
11. Write a story called ‘Things are not what they seem’.
12. “We’re a nation of liars!” Write about some examples of lying that you know of and suggest
some reasons why many people seem happy to lie.
13. “Get the best deal – the customer is always right!” Write a teenage magazine article arguing
that it is right to barter / haggle to get the best deal that you can.
14. “There’s no such thing as luck! You make your own luck in this world.” Write a speech to your
class arguing either for or against this view.
15. Write a story called ‘The Conflict’.
16. Describe a time where you learnt something new about a person you thought you knew well.
© 2004 www.teachit.co.uk
1571
Page 11 of 11